Monday, February 29, 2016

The Consensus Ballot and Public Review period for NASBLA 101-20XX: Basic Boating Knowledge - Human-Propelled Boats ends in less than 30 days. Your input is important. Please review the document and submit any comments you may have via the EZ-ESP website: http://esp.nasbla.org/esp/

Friday, February 26, 2016

Organize a group of 10 or more people for an Earth Day weekend cleanup (April 22-24, 2016) and your group could win a weekend of free instruction with an ACA Instructor Trainer!

The ACA is committed to cleaning up Marine Debris from our watersheds. To date, our members have removed more than 620,000 pounds of Marine Debris!

Hosting or participating in a Marine Debris cleanup is a great way for people to connect with paddle sports and their watershed. This year, we are asking our members, Paddle American Clubs (PAC’s) and Outdoor Livery and Guide Services (OLG’s) to host a watershed cleanup on the Earth Day weekend April 22nd -24th, 2016.

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Please join us in welcoming our new Public Policy Chief, Louis Metzger, to the ACA team. Lou will work toward furthering the ACA’s positions on access and water stewardship. In addition to working with ACA staff, he will work with local, state, and federal government, environmental and other organizations, and will be the primary contact for the ACA with the Outdoor Alliance.To learn more about Lou, click here!

Monday, February 22, 2016

Whether you are searching for a canoe/kayak/SUP class, an upcoming race, or an adaptive paddling workshop, you'll find a wide range of events on our event calendar to boost your skills while having fun! (Pro tip: Use the drop-down menu at the top of the page to filter by event type or location.)

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Paddlers know Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness as some of the best lakeland paddling in the world. People from across the country and across the world care about the Boundary Waters, especially since it is so accessible to people of a range of abilities, ages, and backgrounds. We routinely hear stories from people we meet all across the country how their first meaningful canoeing trip, their first extended wilderness trip, or the first time they went camping with their family happened in the Boundary Waters.

The 1.1-million-acre Boundary Waters adjoins with Canada’s 1.2-million-acre Quetico Provincial Park to provide a stunning example of a large, intact ecosystem laced with canoe and kayak routes. It supports iconic wildlife like black bear, wolves, moose, bald eagles, and loons. The wilderness also supports people, whether they only visit once or have lived alongside the wilderness for years. Generations have visited the Boundary Waters and other wilderness areas in search of healing, self-knowledge, challenge and personal development. It can be somewhat shocking, then, to consider the environmental, recreational, and economic impacts of building sulfide-ore copper mines on the edge of the wilderness. Even worse, these proposed mines would be located directly upstream from the Boundary Waters and Quetico. This type of mining has a longstanding track record of water pollution, and routine spills of toxic materials, chemicals and industrial wastewater are common at these types of mines, even in the United States. In addition to potential water pollution, the proposed underground mine would harm the surrounding landscape through infrastructure footprints, wildlife corridor disruptions, traffic, noise, dust and light. These are only a few of the impacts that the Boundary Waters and the people it supports would experience, of course.

Photo by Piragis Northwoods Company

In the face of these threats, the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters is committed to raising the voices of people who believe the Boundary Waters is too important to risk to sulfide-ore copper mining. Through adventure advocacy efforts like the Paddle to DC, Bike Tour to Save the Boundary Waters, and the ongoing Year in the Wilderness, people who depend on the wilderness have engaged with thousands of people. To date, over 100,000 people have taken at least one action demanding permanent protection of the Boundary Waters.

2016 will be a big year for the Boundary Waters and Quetico. We hope that the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management collect robust science and public input about whether sulfide-ore copper mining is an appropriate activity adjacent to the nation’s most popular wilderness. Guided by the principles that the Boundary Waters and Quetico are special and beloved places, that sulfide-ore copper mining is a toxic and risky industry, and that future generations deserve to inherit a wilderness as healthy and life-giving as it is today, we will push tirelessly for its permanent protection. We hope you will join the cause by signing this petition to federal decisionmakers.

Friday, February 12, 2016

Accidents on the water can happen much too fast to reach and put on a stowed life jacket. Drowning is the reported cause of death in three-fourths of all boating fatalities – and 84 percent of drowning victims in recreational boating accidents were not wearing a life jacket in 2014. Life jackets only work if you wear them.

Your safety is our number one priority. For more tips on how to take care of yourself (and others) out on the water, check out our YouTube playlist.You can also visit www.americancanoe.org/Top10for our top 10 tips on how to paddle smart.

Monday, February 8, 2016

The Quiet Water Society is proud to announce the dates for our 21st symposium. As we begin a third decade of “Outdoor Michigan’s Favorite Indoor Show” we embrace the same principles with the same fervor that prompted the originators of The Quiet Water Symposium in 1995. The 2015 symposium smashed all previous attendance records and with your help we will do it again in 2016.

The 21st Annual Quiet Water Symposium will be held once again on the campus of Michigan State University in conjunction with Michigan State University’s Agriculture and Natural Resources Week.

Friday, February 5, 2016

Today is the last day to submit your photo to be considered for the "Photo of the Month" feature in the March issue of Paddle! This is a great chance to get your photo out in front of a wide audience.Here is how it works:

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Have you marked your calendar yet? The 2016 ACA National Paddlesports Conference will take place November 11-13, 2016, in Sausalito, California! This conference will feature exciting events for paddlers of all experience levels, family paddling opportunities, educational sessions, and more.

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Since 2002, the ACA has partnered with L.L. Bean to sponsor the Club Fostered Stewardship (CFS) Program in order to provide funding to local and regional paddling clubs and organizations that undertake stewardship projects on waterways in their area.

Monday, February 1, 2016

The board of directors of ACA and USA Canoe/Kayak have restarted their partnership and will be moving forward with plans for a merger.

In the meantime, the ACA will continue to provide membership, database, insurance, website and financial services to USACK members.We will continue to post updates to www.americancanoe.org/USACK as they become available.

About Me

The American Canoe Association (ACA) is a member-based 501(c)(3)non profit organization that promotes fun and responsible canoeing, kayaking, rafting and SUP. Founded in 1880, the ACA actively advocates recreational access and stewardship of America’s recreational water trails. For more information and to join, visit www.americancanoe.org.